Despite Only $15,000 Pay, Hulk Hogan’s Fame Chasing Escapade With Sylvester Stallone Burned a $600,000 Hole in His Pocket for Next 20 Years

Hulk Hogan, real name Terry Gene Bollea, appeared alongside Sylvester Stallone in the 1982 Rocky III movie. He played the role of a pro wrestler named Thunderlips, which received quite a positive response from the fans. The role was short but impressive and was a big break in his career. He gained a tremendous amount of fame after it.

His Hollywood venture was a fruitful one. But it also cost him a fortune. He only got $15,000 for the movie, but he had to pay almost $600,000 for 20 years as royalties to Marvel. Let’s find out why.

Hulk Hogan and WWE had an agreement with Marvel

It is no secret Rocky III movie almost cost The Hulkster his pro wrestling career. But many fans don’t know about other repercussions he had to face because of the movie. Terry Bollea started his wrestling journey with the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA). He named himself ‘Hulk’ which is also a Marvel-owned name.

At the starting point of his pro wrestling career, he was not very famous. So his using the ‘Hulk’ name didn’t catch Marvel‘s attention during that time. He gained recognition in the industry only after his role in the Rocky III movie.

In 1984, during his second run with WWE, the company promoted him as ‘The Incredible Hulk Hogan.’ (Vince McMahon in the later years added the ‘Hogan’ part to his character name for more of an Irish touch). As Hulkamania became popular, Marvel noticed he is using their copyright name in WWE. As fans know Marvel has a character named the Incredible Hulk of their own.

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This resulted in Marvel showcasing its discontentment with WWE using its copyrighted product. All three parties (Hogan, WWF, and Marvel) had to compromise and settle for an agreement. The agreement mentioned that Terry Bollea and his employers could only use the name ‘Hulk Hogan’, not ‘Incredible’.

However, this was not only the terms of the agreement. It also mentioned that for 20 years (1984 -2005) or until his retirement, Marvel would get $100 for every wrestling match Hogan becomes a part of.

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Plus, Marvel also wanted WWE to label “Hulk Hogan is a trademark of the Marvel Comics Group, licensed exclusively to TitanSports, Inc.” on all his merchandise. Cinemablend did all the math and put out a rough sum of numbers that Marvel gained from Hogan. And it is $600,000.

Though Hogan and WWE had to pay a price for their shot at fame and using the Hulk Hogan name, the success both parties enjoyed makes the deal sweeter for them.

What do you think of the entire situation? Let us know in the comments below. We would love to hear from you.